evolved past autism?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2003
evolved past autism?
4
Fri, 03-07-2008 - 8:35am

Just wondering if anyone has ever been told that your child has 'evolved' past autism ?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-28-2008
Fri, 03-07-2008 - 11:34am

I can't speak for your ped, but I can share with you some things I learned by reading books written by people on the spectrum about their own life experience. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron wrote a book together that I found very enlightening and gave me hope. Both of them started out life significantly on the spectrum but now hold jobs and live independently.

They never 'ourgrew' autism, but they learned to consciously compensate for their austistic traits. They learned to make eye contact and make small talk. To keep their stimming private. To cope with sensory overload and sudden anger from being overwhelmed. They still consider themselves to be on the spectrum but they are functioning at a high level in a NT world.

I don't know if that what the ped means or not.

HTH

Drea

Andrea, mom to

Graham
Miles
Anson
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Fri, 03-07-2008 - 3:40pm

Jen,
I have heard that some kids can move up the spectrum, and maybe even move off it if they make huge progress. I think these cases are rare, and I am inclined to think that a child who was diagnosed as "autistic" and then "cured" like Jenny McCarthy's son, was probably misdiagnosed in the first place. That's just my non-medical opinion.

-Paula

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2003
Mon, 03-10-2008 - 10:28am
I have a hard time understanding exactly what this means for my son.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-07-2007
Mon, 03-10-2008 - 11:11am
I understand the irony of the situation.